First the good news. Schools that are laggards when it comes to reading scores are being required by the state to add an hour of reading instruction to the school day. There are 26 such schools–24 traditional and two charters–in Hillsborough County. Budgetary reallocations will cover the costs.
Every little bit of aid to the neediest can help.
The not-so-good news: The school districts didn’t find out who the targeted schools were until a couple of weeks ago. Hardly enough heads-up time.
The unrelenting reality: The biggest factors in learning deficits haven’t changed and are typically outside the purview of schools. More critical than phonics-and-vocabulary intervention is, alas, who is at home and what kind of reinforcing environment, if any, exists for students. Too many begin first grade already behind.
It’s a further reminder of what teachers–and the standardized-tests that non-standardized students take–are confronted with. It’s a reminder of the challenges they face. The interventions they make daily that go unrecognized by the state.